Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) helps people identify and change thinking and behavior patterns that are harmful or ineffective, replacing them with more accurate thoughts and functional behaviors, It can help a person focus on current problems and how to solve them. It often involves practicing new skills in the “real world”.   - American Psychiatric Association

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As we live our lives, we interpret what is going on around us and we form beliefs and meanings. These beliefs impact our emotions, body sensations, and behaviors. Sometimes our beliefs are distressing which may lead to unhealthy thought patterns and coping skills.

 

The goal of CBT is to help clients examine and understand their core beliefs and perception of a situation. By understanding one’s beliefs, a therapist can help clients make sense of their emotions while suggesting lifestyle adjustments to alleviate symptoms of anxiety, sadness, and/or guilt.   

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The insight of the CBT model is that it is not events that bother us. Instead, it is the way that we interpret events – the meaning that we give to them – that gives rise to our feelings. This explains why two people experiencing the same event can react in completely different ways. Let’s consider an example:

 

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